


To Strike Gold

by QuillerQueen



Series: Erised Stra Eha [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Gen, Harry Potter AU, OQ Prompt Party 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 18:43:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19068439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillerQueen/pseuds/QuillerQueen
Summary: Personal prompt: “Regina and Robin attend Henry’s first Quidditch game”. A flash-forward set in the Erised Stra Eha verse.





	To Strike Gold

"I can't stand to watch this anymore!"

Regina is balancing on her tiptoes, craning her neck while at the same time clapping a hand over her mouth, as the stands resound in sonorous boos and cheers. Blocks of blue, green, yellow, and red sway with excitement as the silver whistle announces the end of a time-out.

"He's all right," Robin assures her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "No harm done, bludger just knocked him slightly off-course. Look, he's back in the air now."

"That's exactly what has me worried," she groans. "He's too stubborn for his own good."

"Mm, I wonder where he gets that from," Robin smirks, earning himself a glare and a playful whack on the chest.

It's Henry's first match, and despite the nerves he's been brilliant so far, clever and tenacious—the two together compensate for his disadvantage as the youngest and least experiences player.

Regina, while no doubt proud of her boy's every accomplishment, is—understandably—not overly keen on the rougher aspects of Quidditch.

"This game is brutal. How can they still allow kids to play it?"

"And did you always find it so?" he teases knowingly. He's been around enough children, even cautious, responsible ones, to know excitement almost always prevails at that age, and he'd wager Regina, bold and audacious as she is, wouldn't have been any different.

"Well, no, not always," she concedes grudgingly, then huffs: "I know better now."

The sea of students swells around them, not one remaining in their seats as Ava Zimmer’s voice bellows into the magical megaphone:

"Ravenclaw in possession, and it's Hattrick with the Quaffle, swerving to avoid an oncoming Bludger, passing to Darling, Darling heading for the goalposts—beautiful block by Morraine, Darling drops the Quaffle—but Colter is right there to catch it—and it's a goal! 70:60 for Ravenclaw, and you gotta give it to their new Chaser, that was a neat trick for sure."

Robin whoops and joins the large wave travelling through the crowd in celebration of Ravenclaw now being in the lead, glancing sideways at Regina. She wipes at her eyes with a wet chuckle, shaking her head at her own reaction, but Robin understands—pride has swelled in his chest, too.

"You seem to change your mind awfully quickly,” he winks, and Regina raises a mock-threatening brow at him. “Dare I suggest there's a pattern, love?"

Regina smiles, palms up in surrender. "I know I can be overly protective sometimes. I just want him to be safe, and happy."

She finds Robin’s hand and weaves her fingers with his, her eyes now back on the game, watching the blue dot that is Henry criss-crossing between players. Robin, on the other hand, suddenly can’t look away—it hits him, as it sometimes does, that this is them now, that they have a life together, the four of them, and a swooping sense of happiness suckerpunches him.

She knows he means well, that his teasing is in no way reproach, but these things bear repeating from time to time.

"It's hard for me to watch him hurt, too, you know."

"I know.”

She squeezes his hand and shifts closer, cuddling into his side when he puts an arm around her and pulls her in for a chaste peck.

The students immediately around them cheer entirely unrelated to the game but very much in reaction to their innocent PDA, and Regina’s breathless chuckle rumbles pleasantly against his chest. She’s blushing into his jacket, no doubt, even as Ravenclaw scores again—and just as the cheers begin to settle, the Ravenclaw Seeker emerges victorious from the edge of the pitch, waving with the captured Golden Snitch in his fist.

Regina lets out a dry sob as they watch Henry and his teammates celebrate their triumph with a set of somersaults and various other feats of tomfoolery. With the match over, the spectators begin to file out into the grounds, leaving the two of them some air to breathe at last.

“So did Henry ask you to make sure I don't do something stupid?" she quips, so much lighter, relieved now that Henry was firmly on the ground again, safe and, for the most part, sound.

Robin laughs as they descend the narrow stairs.

"That he did."

"He did?” She sounds scandalised, much to his amusement. “Like what? Run down to the pitch to kiss his bruises better?"

"Definitely an option. I believe he also mentioned you jinxing the judge and grounding the Gryffindors.”

They stop by the changing room to wait for Henry before heading home to a cranky Roland recovering from a cold and a small celebratory feast (courtesy of Granny). While they wait, Regina turns in Robin’s arms, toying with the lapels of his jacket.

"Was it weird to cheer against your house team?"

"As a matter of fact, it wasn’t,” he says after a while, surprising even himself. “It used to be hard to pretend I'm unbiased, so I quit trying years ago—most teachers support their old house teams anyway. Now my allegiance is to whomever is lucky enough to have Henry on the team—and perhaps Roland someday."

Her eyes shine under the stars, her voice filled with the same emotion.

"Thank you for loving him,” she whispers. “For loving us both."

"It's our pleasure, Regina. You're both easy to love—and Roland and I are lucky to have that love returned."

“Sap,” she accuses, even though she's very much affected, and before he could pick up their little game and parry with the customary  _ you love it _ , she’s kissing him, and this time there’s none of the chasteness of the peck in the stands.

“Uh, honestly,” comes Henry’s exasperated sigh. “Can you two not? Can we agree no more snogging in front of me tonight?”

So agree they do—they’ll try to restrain themselves, they tell him, in honour of Ravenclaw’s victory and Henry’s part in it.


End file.
